Opera Omaha is set to produce “El último sueño de Frida y Diego” this May. The production, which opens on May 3 and runs through the fifth, will be the first Spanish-language opera that the company produces. This is also the fourth production of the Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz Opera and the first outside of California following its {…}
(Photo: Jill Steinberg) “Sensorium Ex” is an opera by composer Paola Prestini and librettist/poet Brenda Shaughnessy and co-directed by choreographer Jerron Herman. It is a multi-sensory narrative woven together at the intersections of disability and artificial intelligence. “Sensorium Ex” opera will be premiering at the Common Senses Festival in Omaha for their 2025 season, and is commissioned by the Ford {…}
(Photo: Jill Steinberg) National Sawdust and The Met Opera presented “Opera Evolved: Genre Fluidity” on Thursday, February 22nd, 2024. This was the second installment of this three-part series that, according to the program, celebrates artistic convergence by investigating the intersection of innovation and tradition at National Sawdust. The evening included composer and co-founder of National Sawdust, Paola Prestini, and theater {…}
Opera Omaha has announced its 2024-25 season. The season opens with Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” which returns to Opera Omaha for the first time since 2011. Craig Verm, Teresa Perrotta, Erika Baikoff, Edwin Jhamal Davis, Mary Evelyn Hangley, Terrence Chin-Loy, and Zachary Nelson. Judith Yan conducts and Kristine McIntyre directs. Performance Dates: Oct. 18 & 20, 2024 Steven White will conduct “The {…}
(Photo: Pix Talarico) Opera Omaha will join forces with renowned countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo for its annual gala scheduled on April 19, 2024. The event will feature the world premiere of Costanzo’s “Don’t Look Back,” which features music by Mozart, Gluck, and Handel. Alongside Costanzo is filmmaker and photographer Pix Talarico who will allow audiences to interact with original music {…}
Opera Omaha has named Maestro Steven White the company’s first Principal Guest Conductor. White will begin a three-year engagement with the Omaha company. In a statement, Opera Omaha General Director, Allison Swenson said, “Steven White has been a superlative colleague and a consistent force of musical excellence in Omaha for 10 years, and we are delighted that he will join {…}
Opera Omaha has announced the selection of 13 poems for its 2023-24 “Poetry & Music Project.” Original poems were written by Nebraska and Iowa students grades K through 12. The chosen poems were selected from a pool of 102 submissions from poets across 12 counties. Students were prompted with the theme for this year’s project, “Discovery,” as well as the {…}
Opera Omaha has announced that it has added “El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered” as a special addition to the company’s 23-24 Season. The performance will be held on Dec. 11 at the Lied Education Center for the Arts on the Creighton University campus. Performed by the American Modern Opera Project, John Adams and Peter Sellars’ “El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered” celebrates Latin {…}
Lee Emma Running’s year-long residency with Opera Omaha will conclude on Nov. 11 at KANEKO. “Opera Coat,” an enameled cast iron sculpture, embellished with copper and bronze, is “an object of beauty and mystery, inviting an audience to explore the complexity of the objects used in opera represented in the unique tailoring and particular plants.” In a statement Running added, “I’m {…}
Opera Omaha is set to present Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” on Oct. 27 and 29 at Orpheum Theater. The comic opera is set to star baritone Jorell Williams in the title role alongside Vanessa Becerra as Norina They will be joined by Miles Mykkanen as Ernesto and Luis Alejandro Orozco as Dr. Malatesta. The production will feature direction by Octavio Cardenas {…}
Opera Omaha has announced that Katrina Thurman will be its new Director of Artistic Administration. In her new role, Thurman will act as a liaison between the major performers, managers, and administrations of the company. She started her career as a soprano, appearing with such companies as The Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Opera Omaha, Opera Philadelphia, Florida Grand Opera, The {…}